Hodsmo

Hodsmo is the closing piece in the set entitled On Night Wind.

                                                    Artwork by Gail Bradshaw

Hodsmo is dedicated to the memory of my friend Ted Hodgetts. We shared the belief  expressed by Claude Debussy and Miles Davis that music exists between the notes we play and hear. Mixed with the music are stories, memories, and love, hidden, then revealed. On learning of Ted's death in 2018, I sat at the piano and improvised this piece, thinking of our long friendship. Ted was christened Edwin Clark Hodgetts, and  endured a litany of nicknames, including, for a time, Theodore, which did vaguely suit his rumpled and wise persona. Hods was another of his names, and as we became friends, I became Gods. Just why, I cannot remember, but someone elaborated Hods into Hodsmo, and of course, I became Godsmo. A brilliant and celebrated artist in wood, Ted loved music, especially jazz. He played drums and trumpet and for many years ran Jazz First Books, one of the finest sources of signed first edition jazz publications one could hope to discover. In honour of Ted, I have named this Ted-like piece Hodsmo. In between the notes, smiling his knowing smile,  I hear him tell me the correct way to pronounce "Philosophy" and then request I sing When Sunny Gets Blue.

Godsmo